Colette Bowe

Dame Colette Bowe

Dame Colette BoweDBE(born 1946) is an English business woman and former civil servant.

Born inLiverpool,Bowe has a Ph.D. in economics fromQueen Mary University of London.In her executive career, she was in the UK civil service from 1975 to 1987. She was involved in theWestland affairas she was the chief information officer at theDepartment of Trade and Industry.In an interview given toCharles Moorefor his authorised biography ofMargaret Thatcher,Bowe ended her long-standing refusal to discuss the issue.

She was chair ofOfcomfrom 2009 to 2014, chair ofElectra Private Equityplc from 2010 to 2014 and chair of the Council of Queen Mary University of London from 2004 to 2009. She has also served on the boards ofThames WaterUtilities,London and Continental Railways,Axa IM,Morgan Stanleyand theYorkshire Building Society.She founded and was first chair of the Telecoms Ombudsman Service (now Ombudsman Services) in 2002–2003. She was the first chair of the Ofcom Consumer Panel (2003–2008), and has worked as the executive chair of the distribution arm of Fleming Asset Management.

Bowe was the chairperson of theBanking Standards Board(2014-2019) and theAssociated Board of the Royal Schools of Music(2012-2018), the president of theVoice of the Listener & Viewer,a trustee ofThe Tabletand theNuffield Foundation,and has also been a visiting fellow ofNuffield College.She has also been a board member of theUK Statistics Authorityand a non-executive director of theDepartment for Transport.

Honours

She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year honours 2014 for services to media and communications.